Linux 5.15 In 2021 Is Still Improving Intel 486 Era Hardware Support

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux 5.15 In 2021 Is Still Improving Intel 486 Era Hardware Support

The x86/IRQ changes for the Linux 5.15 kernel bring some unexpected improvements to old hardware...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-5.15-x86-IRQ

[Adarion]

Kudos to the people for still caring. Before people come out and complain about "waste of development resources": Just because we don't see things in our personal bubble doesn't mean it does not exist. Apparently the ALi chips are still around an kicking. Some people behave a bit like shutting your eyes off with your hands, and then thinking "if I can't see the monster, it isn't there". But reality is different.

[oiaohm]

Kudos to the people for still caring. Before people come out and complain about "waste of development resources": Just because we don't see things in our personal bubble doesn't mean it does not exist. Apparently the ALi chips are still around an kicking. Some people behave a bit like shutting your eyes off with your hands, and then thinking "if I can't see the monster, it isn't there". But reality is different.

The funny part is there is more 486 than some would think.

https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/ao486_MiSTer

There is new hardware being released with 486 in fpga. So 486 is going to be around for quite a few decades yet.

[Mike Frett]

Well it's not that old. They still make single-board 486 computers.

[lucrus]

Gonna just leave this here.

Besides the fact the Intel 486 in 1980 wasn't a thing yet, even assuming it were, I still don't get your point.

[perpetually high]

Besides the fact the Intel 486 in 1980 wasn't a thing yet, even assuming it were, I still don't get your point.

No real point, just a pretty interesting fact. You weren't shocked by that?

I guess my point was 486 may seem old, but it's really not that old. And I'm glad people still care about maintaining certain things, if it makes sense. I'm sure people see "486 code" and think it's a waste of time. I don't.

edit: Deleted the original post since it's been quoted.

[some_canuck]

weren't they supposed to be removing 386/486 support a couple releases ago?

[M@GOid]

Kudos to the people for still caring. Before people come out and complain about "waste of development resources": Just because we don't see things in our personal bubble doesn't mean it does not exist. Apparently the ALi chips are still around an kicking. Some people behave a bit like shutting your eyes off with your hands, and then thinking "if I can't see the monster, it isn't there". But reality is different.

From time to time you stumble with those people who lives in their own bubbles of reality. A couple years ago I saw what I suppose was a kid, saying something in the lines of "who cares about e-mail, nobody uses that anymore". I guess he is in for a surprise if he manages to get a job in any sort of company.

[edwaleni]

Is someone still writing patches for the 6N3C power tube?

[uxmkt]

]The PIRQ router work is for the ALi M1487 while on the Intel side the affected hardware is the 82374EB/82374SB and 82426EX, all from the Intel 486 days.

PIIX, i440BX, i82371 (ATA), i82374 (PIC), ... these names should all ring a bell. You can still run a 1998 i386 Linux today if you feel nostalgic to do so. Virtual machines still offer these historic chipsets in virtual space, and not just for historical OSes. At the forefront, they present themselves as an "i440BX with an Opteron/Zen/whatever", which is something that in the real world could never exist ;-)